The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing patient-specific drug information.
The effective and safe administration of pharmaceuticals to patients has become more challenging because of two developments. One is the ever increasing population of patients, as medical treatment becomes more sophisticated, and the other is the growing number of drugs available for the treatment of disease, with an ever increasing amount of information about these drugs becoming available.
Over the past 30 years, the number of FDA approved prescription drug products has increased from 650 to 9,500 drugs. In addition, over 100,000 articles relating to drug therapy are published each year. Major advances in analytical methodology have allowed for the specific and sensitive measurement of drugs and their metabolites in biological fluids. This has permitted the definition of mathematical parameters for describing drug metabolism and disposition in the body. The study of pharmacokinetics (what the body does to drugs) has grown in sophistication so that knowledge of elimination and distribution parameters has allowed for specific dosage regimens to be developed in patients based upon the degree of organ function. This permits proper doses of therapeutic agents to be calculated.
The two primary ways in which drugs are eliminated from the body are by the kidney and the liver. These organs serve to detoxify and excrete drugs from the body, and when their function is diminished, accumulation of drugs or drug metabolites may occur. Progressive reduction in renal or liver function by disease or simply by the aging process have been associated with changes in the disposition of many drugs. Alterations have been demonstrated in absorption, protein binding, distribution, elimination, and metabolism.
These considerations affect the growing number of patients with organ dysfunction who receive medication. Renal failure patients on dialysis as well as thirty percent of elderly patients receive an average of eight prescription medications daily. In addition, patients with end-stage organ failure undergoing organ transplantation receive numerous medications aimed at modulating the immune system and fighting infection.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods capable of providing the clinician with ready and convenient access to current, pertinent, and patient-specific drug information and dosing recommendations.